Table of contents

Contents

Page No.

Computer controlled knife cutting (Numerical control) machine:......................................1

Features:...........................................................................................................................1
Working principle:...........................................................................................................2
Advantages:.....................................................................................................................2
Disadvantages:.................................................................................................................2
Water jet cutting machine:...................................................................................................3
History:............................................................................................................................4
Operation:........................................................................................................................4
Versatility:........................................................................................................................4
Availability:.....................................................................................................................4
Types of water jet:............................................................................................................4
Pure water jet:..................................................................................................................5
Abrasive water jet:...........................................................................................................5
Features:...........................................................................................................................6
Working principle:...........................................................................................................6
Advantages:.....................................................................................................................6
Disadvantages:.................................................................................................................7
Laser cutting machine:.........................................................................................................7
Comparison to mechanical cutting:.................................................................................8
Process:............................................................................................................................8
Beam geometry:...............................................................................................................8
Factors affecting process results:.....................................................................................8
Cooling:...........................................................................................................................9
Safety factors:..................................................................................................................9
Personal:......................................................................................................................9
Environmental..............................................................................................................9
Features:...........................................................................................................................9
Working principle:...........................................................................................................9
Advantages:...................................................................................................................10
Disadvantages:...............................................................................................................10
References:........................................................................................................................10

Computer controlled knife cutting (Numerical control) machine:

.

Figure: Computer controlled (numerical system) knife cutting machine.

Numerical control systems are now used for any process that can be described as a series
of movements and operations. These include laser cutting, welding, friction stir welding,
ultrasonic welding, flame and plasma cutting, bending, spinning, pinning, gluing, fabric
cutting, sewing, tape and fiber placement, routing, picking and placing (PnP), and
sawing.
Features:
1. This method provides most accurate cutting at high speed.
2. Marker is not necessary to put over the fabric lays during cutting.
3. Cutting knife is oval shaped, very hard, sharpness also very high and blade is
made by stainless steel.
4. Cutting knife moves according to the direction of computer memory.
5. This machine is a CAM system and works through CAD system.
CAM system includes:
a) Auto spreader.
b) Auto cutter.
CAD system includes:
a) Pattern making.
b) Pattern grading

c) Marker making.
Working principle:
1. Cutting table is perforated.
2. Table is covered with nylon bristles, which are flexible enough to permit
penetration & movement of knife blade which supported only at top.
3. A sheet of air tight polyethylene covers the top of the lay, which assists the
creation of a vacuum & allows significant compression of the lays.
4. Cutting head is placed in a beam which is set width wise of the table &
cutting head moves length wise of the beam according to the directing of
computer head.
5. A controlled cabinet houses the computer & the electric components are
required to drive the cutter & motor.
6. After loading the disc into the computer, the operator positions the cutting
heads origin right over the corner of the spread, this provides the computer
with a reference point.
7. Since the computer controlled knife cuts according to the instruction from
the computer rather than by following a pattern line drawn on a marker, it
gives accurate dimension.
Advantages:
1. Very fast cutting pertain.
2. Very active cutting by computer controlled system.
3. Suitable for very large-scale production.
4. Sped of cutting can be controlled.
5. Cutting knife can be driven at any direction.
6. Cutting defects are less than others.
7. Can be compressed in lays that assist during fabric cutting.
8. Intensity of accident is low.
9. No need of marker.
10. Fabric can be cut 6-8 times than manual method.
11. Less labor cost.
Disadvantages:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Very expensive machine.

Higher maintenance cost.
Skied manpower is required.
If correct disc is not added in the computer, error will be indicated.

Water jet cutting machine:

Figure: Simple diagram of water jet cutting machine.

Here,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

high-pressure water inlet

jewel (ruby or diamond)
abrasive (garnet)
mixing tube
guard
cutting water jet
cut material

A water jet cutter is a tool capable of slicing into metal or other materials using a jet of
water at high velocity and pressure, or a mixture of water and an abrasive substance. The
process is essentially the same as water erosion found in nature but greatly accelerated
and concentrated. It is often used during fabrication or manufacture of parts for
machinery and other devices. It has found applications in a diverse number of industries
from mining to aerospace where it is used for operations such as cutting, shaping,
carving, and reaming.

History:
In the 1950s, forestry engineer Dr. Norman Franz experimented with an early form of
water jet cutter to cut lumber. However, the technology did not advance notably until the
1970s when Dr. Mohammed Hashish created a technique to add abrasives to the water jet
cutter. Today the water jet is unparalleled in many aspects of cutting and has changed the
way many products are manufactured. Many types of water jets exist today, including
plain water jets, abrasive water jets, percussive water jets, cavitation jets and hybrid jets.
Operation:
The cutter is commonly connected to a high-pressure water pump where the water is then
ejected from the nozzle, cutting through the material by spraying it with the jet of highspeed water. Additives in the form of suspended grit or other abrasives, such as garnet
and aluminum oxide, can assist in this process. Because the nature of the cutting stream
can be easily modified, water jets can be used to cut diverse materials, from prepared
foods to metals. There are few materials that cannot be effectively cut with a water jet
cutter; one of these is tempered glass, which shatters when cut, regardless of the cutting
technology used. Certain ceramics are also resistant to water jet cutting. Water jet cuts are
not typically limited by the thickness of the material, and are capable of cutting materials
over eighteen inches (45 cm) thick. The penetrating power of these tools has led to the
exploration of their use as anti-tank weapons but, due to their short range and the advent
of composite armour, research was discontinued.
Versatility:
The versatility of the waterjet allows it to be used in nearly every industry. There are
many different materials that the waterjet can cut. Some of them have unique
characteristics that require special attention when cutting. Each material cut will have
some unique characteristics that have to be taken into account. Materials commonly cut
with waterjet include rubber, foam, plastics, fabrics composites, stone, tile, metals, food,
paper and much more. The only materials that cannot be cut with waterjet are tempered
glass, diamonds and certain ceramics.
Availability:
Commercial water jet cutting systems are available from manufacturers all over the
world, in a range of sizes, and with water pumps capable of a range of pressures. Typical
water jet cutting machines have a working envelope as small as a few square feet, or up
to hundreds of square feet. Ultra-high pressure water pumps are available from as low as
40,000 psi (276 MPa) up to 90,000 psi (621 MPa).
Types of water jet:
1. Pure water jet
2. Abrasive water jet

Pure water jet:

Pure water jet is the original water cutting method. The first commercial applications
were in the early to mid 1970s, and involved the cutting of corrugated cardboard. The
largest uses for pure waterjet cutting are disposable diapers, tissue paper, and automotive
interiors. In the cases of tissue paper and disposable diapers the waterjet process creates
less moisture on the material than touching or breathing on it. Unplanned down time,
common to other cutting processes, cost over $20,000 per hour in some diaper or tissue
plants. The waterjet provides the 24 hour per day, 7 day per week, 360 day per year
operation required by such applications maintenance can be scheduled into production.
Pure waterjet attributes:

Very thin stream (0.004 to 0.010 inch in diameter is the common range)

Extremely detailed geometry

Very little material loss due to cutting

Non-heat cutting

Cut very thick

Cut very thin

Usually cuts very quickly

Able to cut soft, light materials (e.g., fiberglass insulation up to 24 thick)

Extremely low cutting forces

Simple fixturing

24 hour per day operation

Abrasive water jet:
The abrasive water jet differs from the pure water jet in just a few ways. In pure water jet,
the supersonic stream erodes the material. In the abrasive water jet, the water jet stream
accelerates abrasive particles and those particles, not the water, erode the material. The
abrasive waterjet is hundreds, if not thousands of times more powerful than a pure
waterjet. Both the waterjet and the abrasive water jet have their place. Where the pure
waterjet cuts soft materials, the abrasive water jet cuts hard materials, such as metals,
stone, composites and ceramics. Abrasive waterjets using standard parameters can cut
materials with hardness up to and slightly beyond aluminum oxide ceramic (often called
alumina, AD 99.9).
Abrasive waterjet attributes:

Extremely versatile process

No Heat Affected Zones

No mechanical stresses

Easy to program

Thin stream (0.020to 0.050 inch in diameter)

Extremely detailed geometry

Thin material cutting

10 inch thick cutting

Stack cutting
Little material loss due to cutting
Simple to fixture
Low cutting forces (under 1 lb. while cutting)
One jet setup for nearly all abrasive jet jobs
Easily switched from single to multi-head use
Quickly switch from pure waterjet to abrasive waterjet
Reduced secondary operations
Little or no burr

Features:
1. Cutting head is nozzle movable but fabric is stationary.
2. A very high velocity small diameter stream of water is created by applying high
pressure to a nozzle.
3. Generally water pressure is 60,000 lb/inch.
4. The high pressure jet works as a solid tool when it encounters the material to cut.
5. Catcher collects loose fibers when cut the fabric.
6. The water used must be filtered and de-ionized.
7. Cutting head is controlled by the computer.
Working principle:
There are six main process characteristics to water jet cutting:
1. Uses a high velocity stream of abrasive particles suspended in a stream of Ultra
High Pressure Water (30,000 - 90,000 psi) which is produced by a Waterjet
Intensifier Pump
2. Is used for machining a large array of materials, including heat-sensitive, delicate
or very hard materials.
3. Produces no heat damage to workpiece surface or edges.
4. Nozzles are typically made of sintered boride.
5. Produces a taper of less than 1 degree on most cuts, which can be reduced or
eliminated entirely by slowing down the cut process.
6. Distance of nozzle from workpiece affects the size of the kerf and the removal
rate of material. Typical distance is .125". Temperature is not as much of a factor.
Advantages:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Very fast cutting operation.

It is most effective with materials including leather and plastic.
Not require to sharp the blade.
The table is not cut as catcher is used.

Disadvantages:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Not possible to fulfill the cutting requirements as water spot may be on the fabric.
Capital costs are high.
Water is to be filtered and de-ionized.
Not suitable for cutting fabric of more lay height.
There is a danger of wet edges.
The sound of jet has to be controlled.

Laser cutting machine:

Figure: Laser cutting process on a sheet of steel.

A laser is a device that emits light (electromagnetic radiation) through a process called
stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated
emission of radiation. Laser light is usually spatially coherent, which means that the light
either is emitted in a narrow, low-divergence beam, or can be converted into one with the
help of optical components such as lenses. Typically, lasers are thought of as emitting
light with a narrow wavelength spectrum ("monochromatic" light). This is not true of all
lasers, however: some emit light with a broad spectrum, while others emit light at
multiple distinct wavelengths simultaneously. The coherence of typical laser emission is
distinctive. Most other light sources emit incoherent light, which has a phase that varies
randomly with time and position.Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut
materials, which is used in the production line and is typically used for industrial
manufacturing applications. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high power
laser, by computer, at the material to be cut. The material then either melts, burns,

vaporizes away, or is blown away by a jet of gas, leaving an edge with a high quality
surface finish. Industrial laser cutters are used to cut flat-sheet material as well as
structural and piping materials.
Comparison to mechanical cutting:
Advantages of laser cutting over mechanical cutting vary according to the situation, but
two important factors are the lack of physical contact (since there is no cutting edge
which can become contaminated by the material or contaminate the material), and to
some extent precision (since there is no wear on the laser). There is also a reduced chance
of warping the material that is being cut, as laser systems have a small heat-affected zone.
Some materials are also very difficult or impossible to cut by more traditional means.
One of the disadvantages of laser cutting includes the high energy required.
Process:
Generation of the laser beam involves stimulating a lasing material by electrical
discharges or lamps within a closed container. As the lasing material is stimulated, the
beam is reflected internally by means of a partial mirror, until it achieves sufficient
energy to escape as a stream of monochromatic coherent light. The coherent light then
passes through a lens that focuses the light into a highly intensified beam generally less
than 0.0125 in (0.3175 mm). in diameter. Depending upon material thickness, kerf widths
as small as 0.004 in (0.1016 mm). are possible. In order to be able to start cutting from
somewhere else than the edge, a pierce is done before every cut. Piercing usually
involves a high power pulsed laser beam which slowly (taking around 5-15 seconds for
half-inch thick stainless steel, for example) makes a hole in the material.There are many
different methods in cutting using lasers, with different types used to cut different
material. Some of the methods are vaporization, melt and blow, melt blow and burn,
thermal stress cracking, scribing, cold cutting and burning stabilized laser cutting.
Beam geometry:
The parallel rays of coherent light from the laser source may be 1/16 in. to 1/2 in. (1.5875
mm to 12.7 mm) in diameter. This beam is normally focused and intensified by a lens or a
mirror to a very small spot of about 0.001 in. (0.0254 mm) to create a very intense laser
beam. Recent investigations reveal that the laser beam has a distinctive polarization. In
order to achieve the smoothest possible finish during contour cutting, the direction of
polarization must be rotated as it goes around the periphery of a contoured workpiece.
For sheet metal cutting, the focal length is usually between 1.5 in. and 3 in. (38.1 mm and
76.2 mm)
Factors affecting process results:
The cutting speed, feed rate, beam geometry, beam intensity, beam focusing,
beam/workpiece material, type of workpiece material, and positioning accuracy all effect
the tolerances and surface finish of a process.

Cooling:
It is necessary to keep the medium that generates the laser, and the lens cool to a safe
working temperature. In both cases the cooling is done by water. In each case, water is
constantly pumped around the heated object. By so doing, the heated water is pushed out
and recycled for another use.
Safety factors:
The following risks should be taken into consideration.
Personal:
Contact with hot tools and workpieces
Eye contact with beam radiation
Inhalation of toxic fumes
Scattered Radation
Deflection off of surfaces
Environmental
Smoke
Fumes and dust particles
Features:
1. The system includes a stationary gas laser.
2. Cutting head carrying a system of mirrors which reflect the laser beam to the
cutting line.
3. Cutting head is controlled by the computer.
4. Automatic single ply, laser cutting is fast compared with automatic multiple ply
knife cutters with speeds of (30-40) meter per minute.
Working principle:
1. A laser produces a beam of light which can be focused into a very small spot(0.25
mm), producing a very high energy density.
2. The energy transfers to the material on which it is focused producing a rapid
increase in temperature.
3. Cutting takes place by vaporization.
4. Charring is prevented by the use of a jet of inert gas which also removes debris
and smoke from the cutting area.
5. A laser does not become blunt and need renewing but it does suffer from limited
depth of focus. This limits the depth it can cut and the best results are achieved
when cutting single ply. If several plies are cut, the accuracy is not perfect as it is
a V-cut rather than a straight line.
6. Speed of fabric cutting is approximately 13 meter per minute. Cutting head is
controlled by the computer.
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Advantages:
1. Very high speed cutting.
2. Suitable for single ply cutting.
3. Mostly used in automobile industry.
Disadvantages:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Not suitable for cutting multi layer of fabrics.

Not suitable for synthetic fabric.
Possibility of burning.
There is a risk that the edges may fuse together.
Depth of focus may reduce.
This process is very expensive.

References:

Gould, R. Gordon (1959). "The LASER, Light Amplification by Stimulated

Emission of Radiation". in Franken, P.A. and Sands, R.H. (Eds.). The Ann Arbor
Conference on Optical Pumping, the University of Michigan, 15 June through 18
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G.P. Karman, G.S. McDonald, G.H.C. New, J.P. Woerdman, "Laser Optics:
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(Italian) Il rischio da laser: cosa e come affrontarlo; analisi di un problema non
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analysis of a problem which is thus mot far away from us."), PROGRAMMA
CORSO DI FORMAZIONE OBBLIGATORIO ANNO 2004, Dimitri
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http://books.google.com/books?id=6x1smAf_PAcC.
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The International Biographical Dictionary of Computer Pioneers refers to Parsons

as "the father of computerized milling machines", and the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers awarded him a citation for "conceptualization of
numerical control marked the beginning of the second industrial revolution."
"The CAD/CAM Hall of Fame: Patrick J. Hanratty", American Machinist
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